Changes to GCSEs
Following Ofqual's announcement in December 2011, a number of changes will be made to the current GCSE qualification. The changes were proposed in the Government's White Paper The Importance of Teaching, published in November 2010
What are the changes?
We can confirm that the key changes are:
- to make all GCSEs, taken after summer 2013, linear in structure
- to include a requirement for spelling, punctuation and grammar marks in English Literature, Geography, History and Religious Studies, for examinations sat after September 2012.
Timelines
The timelines for these changes are as follows.
- Candidates will be required to take all GCSE assessments at the end of the course for awards made from summer 2014 onwards.
- Question papers in English Literature, Geography, History and Religious Studies with extra marks awarded for spelling punctuation and grammar will first be sat by candidates in January 2013.
How does this affect you and your teaching?
The changes will affect the following areas of the GCSEs.
Will the changes to GCSEs affect all schools?
The changes will affect GCSEs offered in England. The Welsh Government has not yet decided whether the linear requirement will apply in Wales. AQA will review its position when regulations for Wales are known.
What happens next?
We are working on implementing these changes in our specifications. In most cases this will involve minor changes in wording to clarify the change to 100% terminal assessment. In a few cases, there may be wider changes in assessment structures. In all cases, we will keep you informed at every stage. We will work closely with you to ensure that any changes are understood and do not adversely affect you and your students.
